Highway gate



Oct. 22, 1940. I w J. BUFQRD 2,219,127

HIGHWAY GATE Original Filed July 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3mm .IBQFORD(wan aim/56 M Mummy Oct. 22, 1940. w. J. BUFORD HIGHWAY GATE OriginalFiled July 26. 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m: .7. Bill-"0RD Patented Oct. 22,1940 PATENT OFFICE HIGHWAY GATE William J. Buford, Houston, Tex.

Application July 26, 1937, Serial No. 155,621 Renewed March 22, 1940Claims.

The invention relates toa highway gate. which is particularly adaptablefor use in protecting railroad crossings and other intersections. The

invention comprehends improvements in the invention of my copendingapplication, Serial No. 142,757, filed May 15, 1937. i

A primary object of thev invention is toprovide a device of thecharacter described that is highly efiicient and is economical toconstruct and install.

It is also an object to provide a device of the class described whichwill stop vehicles at a point where the stoppage of such vehicles isessential.

A still further object is to provide a device of the character describedwhich will automatically resist the impact of a vehicle therewith andbring the vehicle to a stop, regardless of its weight or speed.

A further object is to provide a device-which is so constructed thattherate of absorption of the impact energy will be progressively increasedas the. gate is displaced from its normal position.

A more specific object is to provide a gate wherein a plurality ofweights are sequentially lifted when the gate has moved laterally fromits normal position, the arrangement and relative sizes of the weightsbeing such that the rate of absorption of the energy of the impact isprogressively increased.

A further object is to provide a construction whereby the properalignment of the cable with the cable sheaves will be maintained whenthe gate is displaced from its normal position.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, will be apparent from thefollowing description in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the general arrangement ofthe device of the invention as positioned across the highway.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the support frame of the device of theinvention.

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views showing details of the clamps betweenthe lifting cables -of the gate.

In Fig. 1 the surface of the roadway is shown at I, vertical supports 2and 3 being fixed in the subgrade 4 at opposite sides of the roadway.Supports 2 and 3 extend upwardly a sufficient distance that the gate 5,which is movably mounted therebetween, may be elevated to a suflicient;height to permit the passage of vehicles .over

the roadway I. Frame work 6, 6' are secured to the front and rear of thesupports 2 and ii and form a housing within which the gate 5 is vlocatedwhen in open or elevated position. This frame work at the same timeprovides display areas upon which any desired information may bedisplayed. Each of the supporting posts '2 and 3 is provided with a capmember l, which is afiixed thereto as by set screws 8, as best seen inFig. 3. These cap members are interconnected '10 through a cable Sand aturn buckle. lil whereby a unitary and rigid frame work is provided. Therigidity of this frame Work is enhanced and the .frameworkis fixed inposition by guy wires H provided with turn buckles l2 so that .ad--"justment thereof may be effected.

To the right-of the roadway as shown inFigs. l and 2, is provided adriving motor it which is adapted to be energized from any suitablesource (not shown) to be rotated in either di-il rection inorderto.drive drums ll and Hi through a worm gear, generally. designated at. 28.These v.cables.2l and.22.1arewrappedabout drums l8 .and H, respectively,and hence may be driven thereby because of frictional contact With=thedrums. It is. obvious, however, that, if desired, the cables .2I. and.22 may be centrally anchored to their respective drums whereby thepossibility of slippage is avoided. Cable 2! passes from drumll to andbeneath the sheaves 23, 30 which aresuitably journaled in bearingsZli.In .proximity'to sheaves 23 are shown three spaced supports-.25, whichare respectively provided with .a .pair of cable guiding sheaves 38. Itis understood that while three supports are shown, this- '35 number. isarbitrary, as any suitable number .may be used whereby the objects ofthe inven- ;tion are realized.

The invention also comprehends passing of cable 2! over sheaves 23 anddownwardly inten suitable weight receiving wells whereby theconstruction now to be further described will be below the plane of theroadway t. t is also apparent that the driving motor it anditsassociated elements may be installed at a level be-' lowthe roadwaywhereby only the gate and its supports extendabove the surface of theroadway.

Supports 25 are .in such spaced relation that weights 3! and 32 may befreely suspended therebetween on the cable 24 which successively passesover the sheaves 30 and beneath the pulleys 33 of the weights' Attentionis here directed'to the fact that the weights3l and 32 areof dif--ferent masses ;in .order thatthe resistance terms impact of the vehicleagainst the gate 5 will be progressively increased as the gate isdisplaced from its normal position. As is clearly shown in the drawings,the weights 3| and 32 are made up of sections so that any desired numberof weight sections may be added to attain desired relative sizes. Sincethe weights 3| and 32 are of different sizes it is obvious that theheavier weight will descend and rest upon the ground-surface 35, theother weight being suspended to maintain the cable 22 taut and toinitially resist the impact of a vehicle against the gate 5.

From the sheaves 33 on supports cable 2| passes beneath the sheaves 36and 31. From sheave the cable passes upwardly within the support member3 to an upper sheave 38 over which the cable passes and thencedownwardly to sheave 31, as above pointed out. The portion of the cablebetween sheaves 31 and 38 passes in front of guiding sheaves 40 and 4|,mounted upon sheave supporting extensions 42 which may be made integralwith the support 3 or may be 22 passes about drum l8 and beneath sheavesI9, thence through a suitable conduit or conduits beneath the roadway Itto sheaves 23 on the side of the roadway opposite the driving motor i6.Similar parts of this portion of the device are identified by similarlyprimed reference characters in order that the construction and operationthereof will be apparent from the above description.

Gate 5 is attached to the cables by clamping means which are best shownin Figs. 4 and 5. The top clamp 50 has one end secured to the frame 5|of the gate 5 by means of the clamping bolts 52 (see Fig. 4) while theopposite end of the clamp is fixed to the cable by means of clampingbolts 54 and the wing nuts 55. The lower clamp 56 at the end of the gateis clamped to the gate frame in a manner similar to that described inconnection with clamp 50. This clamp, however, carries a roller 56within a loop 58 wherein the pin 59, upon which the roller 51 isrotatably mounted, is so positioned that the cable 2| may move axiallyrelative to the clamp. In this manner the cable between the clamps 50and 56 will be taut all times. Each end of the gate is connected to itsadjacent cable in the manner just described.

In the operation of the device cables 2| and 22 are driven in the properdirection by means of motor It. If, for example, it is desired to lowerthe gate 5, motor IE will be driven so as to drive the cables 2| and 22in the direction indicated by the arrows. It is to be understood thatsuitable means, either manual or automatic, will be provided toterminate the movement of the gate when it reaches the desired positionbetween sheaves 4|), 40 and 4|, 4|. In a similar manner, upwardmovementwill be terminated when the gate has reached the upper limit of travel.The associated mechanism may comprise an element of an electric signalsystem, which is operated by the approach and recession of a train or itmay be operated by the entry and exit of a train from a block in whichthe installation is made. Such system forms no part of the presentinvention as systems are well known.

When the gate is in closed position it will be assumed that a vehiclecomes into contact therewith and the gate is moved transversely from itsnormal position. The initial impact will be resisted by virtue of thelighter of the weights on the respective cables. These lighter weightswill resist the impact with a force which is dependent upon the mass ofthe weight and the rate of acceleration of the weight by the impact.When these Weights approach a position between adjacent sheaves 30 thetension on the cables will pick up the successively heavier weight andthe resistance to impact and hence the deceleration of the vehicle willtherefore be increased. It is obvious that the lengths of the cables 2|and 22 will be such that a vehicle will be stopped before the weightshave reached their limit of travel.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the device serves toprogressively increase the force which brings the vehicle to a stop andhence destructive force to both the device of the innot limited but thatsuch matter lies within the province of the skilled artisan, thepreferred embodiment of the invention as described being merelyillustrative.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described com-:;-

prising spaced vertical supports on opposite sides of a roadway, a frameconstruction connecting the tops of said supports to form a housinghaving display surfaces, spaced guide rollers on each of said verticalsupports, an endless cable passing over said guide rollers and having aportion thereof extending downwardly along each of the supports, a gatemember between said supports and having each end connected to one ofsaid cables, drum means about which each of said cables is passed to bedriven thereby, motor means for driving said drum means, paired cablesupporting sheaves in spaced relation between each of the verticalsupports and said drum means, and a plurality of weights of differingmasses supported on each of said cables between the cable supportingsheaves, whereby the cables are maintained taut and the resistance toimpact transversely of the gate will be progressively increased.

2. A device of the character described comprising spaced verticalsupports, spaced guide rollers on each of said supports, an endlesscable member passing over. the guide rollers on each of said supports, agate member between said- V rality of weights supported by each of saidcables whereby an impact transversely of the gate will be progressivelyabsorbed by the weights.

3. A device of the character described comprising spaced verticalsupports, spaced rollers on each of said supports, an endless cablepassing over the rollers on each of said supports, a gate member betweensaid supports and connected to said cables, drum means about which eachof said cables passes whereby the cables may be driven thereby, meansfor driving said drum means to raise and lower said gate, and aplurality of weights of different masses sheaved upon said cablesbetween the supports and drum means whereby resistance to displacementof the gate by impact therewith will be progressively increased.

4. A device of the character described comprising in combination a gatemember, an endless cable connected to the gate at each end,

means for driving said cables whereby the gate may be raised or lowered,and means intermediate said support posts and the last mentioned meansfor applying a progressively increasing force to each flight of thecables as the gate is displaced transversely from its normal position.

5. A device of the character described comprising in combination spacedvertical supports, a gate member between said supports, a cable memberconnected to said gate at each end, means on said supports for guidingsaid cables, drum means about which said cables are directed, motormeans for driving the drum means to raise and lower said gate, andweight members of different masses upon each of said cables toprogressively resist movement of the gate transversely of the plane ofthe vertical supports. WILLIAM J. BUFORD.

